Oregon State Post-Game Quotes
January 15, 2011 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2011
Oregon State vs. USC
January 15, 2011
Gill Coliseum
Corvallis, Ore.
Head Coach Craig Robinson
On making the plays they didn't on Thursday...
"It's the difference in a couple of days and playing 40 minutes as opposed to 20. I couldn't be happier for those seniors. They've been having a tough time and the pulled us through, they made all the plays they needed to make. Calvin was perfect from the field, Omari getting a double-double and then Lathen coming off the bench and giving us such a great spark. They made all the plays that they didn't make the game before."
On bringing Calvin off the bench...
"We talked about it at practice yesterday. We just needed to get a freshness, a change. Calvin has always played well against USC so we thought, `man, if he comes off the bench playing like that, maybe that will give us a little bit of a spark,' and that's exactly what happened."
On matching-up well against USC...
"I don't know, our guys play well against them. This time was different from the other times. I actually thought they did a good job against our 1-3-1 this time. It was our 2-3 that was stymieing them. Nikola Vucevic is so, so good. He's right up there with Derek Williams as being the best guy in the league, in my eyes. That guy is going to enjoy playing in the League because there won't be all of these zones and he's so skilled. USC and Oregon State, that's just one of those games that even before I got here, it's a natural match-up for us. Our fans get into it, the football team's get into it. I can't put a finger on it. I'm happy we've won more games than we've lost against them."
On playing with the lead...
"Nervous. I was wondering when we were going to mess it up. No, I'm kind of half-kidding. It felt good in that there is such a difference, and I try to convey this to the players, when you make the other team have to make shots like we're always doing, we're always in position where we're fighting back and we have to make shots, they become harder. It's a harder shot. If you shoot 50 percent from the field when you're down 11, you don't shoot 50 percent from the field, it's just the way it works. We talked about that as a team and our guys did a great job except for there was a moment there when we came down with a 11-point lead and we shot a three and we tried a crazy pass and the next thing you know, it's a six-point game. Fortunately, we made our foul shots and edged it back out, but that just shows you we're still learning how to handle that. It felt good."
On the difference between Thursday night and tonight...
"I made a spectacle of myself probably at practice and every opportunity. Our team really understands what they have to do, it's the execution part and the motivation part for me. The motivation is very simple. We want to be a good team. We feel like we're a good team. After you get past that motivational point, it becomes a confidence thing for our guys. Today we came out confident right from the beginning. If I knew the exact formula, obviously we'd do it every time. It was a combination of working hard at practice - we worked harder than we normally do on an in-between day - and the stinging of losing the last game. The combination of that brought us to where we are today."
On continuing to have the same effort...
"I am confident. It's whether or not those guys in the locker room are. I think they understand what they need to do on a daily basis, not just game day, but practices, workouts, film sessions, meals. They know what they have to do every day to get ready. Once they're ready, this is what you see."
Senior guard Calvin Haynes
On the difference in tonight's performance from previous games...
"We made lay-ups tonight. We rebounded like we needed to, got stops when we needed to, and executed down the stretch. That got us the big win tonight."
On the importance of the team staying strong for the duration of the game...
"It was very important to build our momentum and not get behind on a good team. USC is one of those teams that executes each and every play and we wanted to jump out early on them and not play from behind and not play catch-up the entire game."
On off the bench tonight...
"Whatever the team needs. It's something we talked about in practice. It's not punishment, it's just something that the team needs. That's where he wants me, so I'm going to come off the bench and play. I have no problem with it; I'm just playing this role like everyone else on this team, and trying to help us win."
On beating USC, a great rebounding team...
"It's big. It just shows us we can rebound with anyone in this league. They're a really big front line, but if we play hard the full forty minutes, box out and do the things we need to do, we can be fine."
On playing with the lead...
"Coming out today it showed that with the right focus and the right teamwork and effort that we can keep the lead the entire game and build on it."
Sophomore guard Jared Cunningham
On how the team performed in relation to Coach Robinson's desire for the team to play the full 40 minutes...
"I feel like we played really hard. Everyone came together at the beginning of the shoot-around today and talked about how we needed to come out, be prepared, and start early and it carried over into the game."
On the importance of getting the win...
"It was really big. We stepped up and played an all-around game and everyone came and put in the work. If we keep playing like this and putting everything together, and play a whole game of 40 minutes, we should be able to do well in the Pac-10."
On the changing line-up...
"You just have to be prepared. You have to keep your head in there. If you're not starting, you're going to have to come off the bench and get your teammates some lift. Calvin did a great job of that tonight, and down the road whoever comes off the bench will help us, so that's what we've got to look forward to."
On the difference between the UCLA game and this game...
"We buckled down in our shoot-around today and focused. No playing around, no messing around, just come out and be prepared. That's what we did from the beginning. USC is a great team and we fought hard to the end."
On coming back after the UCLA game...
"It's big. UCLA played hard the whole game and to make the comeback that we had but then not get the victory, it really hurt. We focused on coming out this game and playing from the beginning. For me personally, I did what I had to do to help my team win. That's all I'm doing every game."
On handling USC's run in the second half...
"We never got down on ourselves. We tried to stop them when we were trading baskets. If they scored a basket, we were trying to score a basket too and then stop them again. That's what we really tried to do the whole game."
